The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has finally reacted to the bribery allegation against Super Eagles coach Salisu Yusuf.

Salisu Yusuf is an assistant coach in the Super Eagles setup in addition to him being both the CHAN and Olympics team head coach.

He’s currently in the spotlight after he was filmed while taking cash from undercover journalists posing as football agent.

The footage was released to BBC Eye Africa by respected Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

In a short statement signed by the NFF’s director of communications, Ademola Olajire, the football body said: “For now, the NFF has commenced preliminary investigation into the matter to assist the Committee on Ethics and Fairplay.”

The embattled coach has been defending himself against the allegation.

In his words, Salisu Yusuf said: “There is nothing in the allegation pointing to a demand for the money from the agents of the two principals. Rather, the agent only handed the money to me after expressing ‘hope’ that the principals would play in the Championship.”

“Be that as it may, I did accept cash handed to me by one of the said football agents, which I later discovered, upon checking, to be $750 and not $1000. Nonetheless, my understanding of the FIFA and NFF Codes of Ethics, particularly Sections 20 of the said codes, is that, gifts of any kind could be accepted by persons bound by the codes which are: of symbolic or trivial value; exclude any influence for the execution or omission on an act that is related to one’s official activities or fall within one’s discretion; are not contrary to one’s duties; do not create any undue pecuniary or other advantage and do not create a conflict of interest.” He concluded.

Salisu Yusuf was part of the Super Eagles technical crew to the recently concluded FIFA World Cup tournament in Russia.